Bangladeshis Make Up 37% of Malaysia’s Foreign Workforce, Says Home Ministry

KUALA LUMPUR: Bangladeshi nationals form the largest group of foreign workers in Malaysia, accounting for 37% of the documented migrant workforce, according to the Home Ministry.

In a written parliamentary reply, the ministry disclosed that as of June 2025, there were 803,332 Bangladeshi workers holding temporary employment permits (PLKS), making Bangladesh the primary source of low-skilled labor in the country.

Following the reopening of Malaysia’s borders after the Covid-19 pandemic in 2022, 49,353 Bangladeshi workers entered the country. The figure surged in 2023 when the government introduced the Foreign Worker Recruitment Relaxation Plan, a temporary measure to accelerate recruitment, bringing in an additional 397,548 Bangladeshi workers.

The ministry also reported 20,331 Bangladeshi workers were repatriated in 2022 and 23,065 in 2023. On enforcement, the Immigration Department detained 790 Bangladeshi nationals for overstaying their permits.

The data was revealed in response to a question from Hassan Karim (PH–Pasir Gudang), who sought a breakdown of Bangladeshi worker recruitment, permit holders, undocumented migrants, and repatriations for 2022 and 2023.

The government reaffirmed its commitment to regulating foreign labor recruitment to meet industry demands while addressing issues of overstaying and undocumented workers.